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Ford says Mustang is its second-most-recognized model in Europe, after the Focus. Chalk that up to the white Ford Mustang in Claude “Rendezvous” Lelouche’s “A Man and a Woman,” Lemme Caution’s Mustang in Jean-Luc Godard’s “Alphaville,” and Serge Gainsbourg’s tune “Ford Mustang.” Bang.

Notice all these mid-’60s cultural references are French? Surely it was coincidence that Ford chose the South of France to launch the performance version of the Focus. The C-segment compact has less than one-fourth the history of the iconic Mustang, and no known European paean.

Before the Ford Focus launched in Europe in the late ’90s to great success (less so in North America) there was the Escort, and before that, in the Gainsbourg days, the Cortina, a European Ford nearly as iconic as the American pony. What made — makes — the Cortina an icon in its own right is the respect the high-performance Lotus version garners from enthusiasts.

So here we are, in the general vicinity of the Cote d’Azur, Brigitte Bardot country (see Gainsbourg), negotiating the twisty mountain roads and treacherous second-gear switchbacks in the modern era’s Ford Lotus Cortina, but with front-wheel-drive. What could go wrong?

Not much. We’re probably the least enthusiastic enthusiasts’ publication for the quotidian Focus, but the Focus ST, at least as far as a first drive on smooth European roads are concerned, impresses. Its chassis dynamics and throttle response
sharpen the car’s dull points. Ford’s U.S. Special Vehicle Team and Team RS in Europe worked together to massage the 180-horsepower, 2.0-liter EcoBoost four into a 252-horse (on premium) powerhouse. The engineering boffins added a high-pressure direct-injection system, low-inertia turbocharging, Twin-Independent Variable Cam Timing (Ti-VCT), redesigned intake and exhaust, and unique calibration. Yes, that makes it the same 2.0 EcoBoost as in the much bigger and heavier Edge Sport and Explorer Sport.

There is a lot behind the vague descriptor “unique calibration,” because Ford claims the Focus ST will zip through a 0-62 mph time of 6.5 seconds all the way up to an autobahn-worthy top speed of 154 mph. Imagine flashing your lights at a BMW M3. The driver might be impressed with the ST’s special grille filling his rearview. It’s a large one-piece maw replacing the Focus’ “kinetic design” affair with something a bit closer to the new ’13 Fusion design language and the Focus EV, although its look is more piscine than poor man’s Aston. There are LED daytime running lights, wide side skirts, a subtle red ST badge in the grille, and, if you choose, Race Blue or the Mopar-esque-named Tangerine Scream among exclusive paint colors.

If the M3 lets you pass – it’s still up to that car’s driver, because the ST is not that fast – the driver will see 235/40 R-18 Goodyear Eagles on handsome honeycomb wheels. They’re painted “gray black” with red brake calipers if you’ve chosen the Performance Pack. Next, the Bimmer pilot will see a rear roof spoiler, and dual squared-off exhaust tips exiting through the middle of the rear lower fascia. North American dealers will offer an all-season alternative to the Eagle summer tires.

Inside, the Recaro front seats are spectacular, with snug and effective bolstering. They come with grippy, techy cloth inserts and leather bolsters, and Race Blue or Tangerine Scream inserts with the ST2 package, or all-leather with the ST3 package (see sidebar).

The two-tone interior might seem over the top, but if you choose anything other than the ST2 package, you’ll end up with an interior as dark as Kim Jong Un’s heart. The seats also have the contrast-color stitching, and there’s a dash-top gauge cluster with water temperature, turbo boost, and oil pressure gauges; a thick, meaty leather-wrapped steering wheel with both smooth and dimpled pieces; a darker headliner than in standard Foci; and a red six-speed shift pattern in the gearshift. Everything else is everyday Focus, including questionable ergonomics as a tradeoff for whatever the translation of “kinetic design” is into interior design-speak.

The European-specific center stack controls for climate and the Sony audio system were happily devoid of North America’s SyncMyFordTouch folderol. The Euro stack still was lousy with buttons, but it still seems a simpler, more straightforward alternative to the Microsoft voice-operated excess.

The sixth gear is one of the most welcome additions. Other Foci — even the Titanium trim packages with their base price in the same territory of this sportster — are hampered by a five-speed that has all the feel and engagement of MyFordTouch. The six-speed feels direct and precise, a good companion for the turbo engine’s downshift needs. Ford figures the sixth cog will help get an EPA highway fuel economy number into the low 30s when it’s officially tested ahead of the car’s late August or early September launch.

By now you’ve probably heard that Ford ST engineers added an overboost feature to the engine, which extends the 270 lb-ft of peak torque for up to 15 seconds at a time. While other EcoBoost engines would quickly drop off their torque peak after achieving it, the ST’s overboost feature extends it from 3000 to 4500 rpm. Lay into that extended torque band and the “sound symposer,” which amplifies the engine’s induction noise into the rather quiet cabin, converts the EcoBoost’s well-oiled mechanical whirr into a rather subtle induction woffle.

Driving a Focus ST versus Mustang in these settings is like bringing a laser to a gunfight. The Mustang Track Package may be good on these South of France roads, but it would be no match for the smaller, tighter, well-balanced Focus ST with its flat cornering. Like the over-tired standard models, wide Goodyears contribute much to ultimate grip.

The ride feels firm, though you’ll have to wait until we get the ST on a properly decrepit American road, say in Detroit, before we can judge how stiff it is for everyday driving. Ford says the Focus ST is designed to be comfortable in the stop-and-go commutes that make up far too much of our drive time.

The electrically power assisted steering comes with variable ratio and effort, and a Torque Steer Compensation program. Its consistency leaves something to be desired. Steering effort feels higher with the throttle on than with the throttle off, as in entering a corner or scrubbing off speed. Though it may sound counterintuitive, a slice of torque steer seems more predictable.

You can affect electric power assisted steering and set the electronic stability control by choosing ESC-on, ESC-off (which doesn’t turn off everything completely) or Sport mode, and while the differences are subtle, crediting again the wide tires, Sport mode is the way to go most of the time. The mode improves turn-in, though this dynamic still suffers the shortcomings of FWD. The Focus ST is a serious competitor for the harsh and nervous current-generation MazdaSpeed3 and the better-balanced and refined Volkswagen GTI, but as we note in our $28,000 sportster comparison test, the two-door, rear-drive competition simply handles better.

The affordable sportster segment is now more diverse than ever, and if you’re of the light, small, and balanced school, a relatively big, lumbering Mustang V-6 for about the same money will seem like it’s the wrong scale for roads like those on our first drive. Mustang might be the second-most recognized Ford model in Europe, but that doesn’t mean it’s cross-shopped with the Focus.

If you need or want the practicality of a four-door hatch with a useable rear seat, you’ll need to add the Ford Focus ST to your consideration list. We’ll sort out whether you should consider it over the GTI or Speed3 when we get the cars together for a comparison test.

Ford Focus ST pricing/packages

At a couple of thousand more than the base price of the Ford Focus Titanium hatchback, the Focus ST is something of a bargain. Its $24,495 base price is $300 less than a 2012 MazdaSport3, $870 less than a ’12 VW GTI four-door hatchback, and $270 less than a ’12 GTI two-door hatch. Like the GTI, it makes a great $27,000 car, but competes with too many other good choices when the option sheet pushes it above $30,000. That’s not including the new Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S. In the U.S., Ford offers two packages with the new ST, plus a few standalone options such as sunroof or all-season performance tires.

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